continous glucose monitor (was:[IPp] Stubborn Lows & Viruses)

Hi Rachel,
CGMS (Mini-Med's Continuous Glucose Monitoring System) is a great
option, and I would jump at the opportunity to use it! We put Sigrid
on it before she went on the pump (she was 15 or 16 months old at the
time) and again a few weeks ago. Didn't bother her either time - to
the wearer, it's very much like a pump. The monitor is a little bigger
than a pump, connected to the body by a subcutanous probe held in place
with an adhesive patch just like a pump's infusion site. The user
wears it for three days (that's how long the probe lasts). For those
three days, you press a few buttons on the monitor to tell it when the
wearer eats, exercises, or takes medicine. Then all of that
information shows up on the continuous trace, so you can see how these
events affected the blood sugar. Also, you need to check the wearer's
blood sugar at least 4 times each CALENDAR day, and enter those
readings into the monitor as soon as you take them - this helps the
monitor calibrate itself.
We got a lot of information from the first CGMS run. We learned that
Sigrid hovered above 300 every evening! We hadn't known this because
her bedtime was always so soon after dinner that we never checked her
until her daily 1 am shot. (You betcha we check at OUR bedtime now!)
Haven't gotten the data yet from the second wearing.
Oddly, the CGMS doesn't have a display screen to show you the data it's
currently reading. You have to wait until your 3 days are up, and
then the data is downloaded from the monitor. I'm sure Mini-Med is
working on a "consumer" version which would give you data in real time
(and even replace fingersticks!) but right now this is just to be used
as an occasional treat.
One caveat - for a small child, I would recommend that you make sure
you have a little fanny pack that is big enough to hold the monitor (it
might not fit into a standard pump pouch). I got the monitor
dimensions from Mini-Med's website and stitched up a pouch before our
first CGMS run. With the pump, we had Sigrid wearing both devices
strapped onto her, one laying on top of the other and both tucked into
her (loose) pants. She rather looked like one of those guys from the
Monty Python sketch featuring men afflicted with testicles bigger than
basketballs - but she is young enough not to care about such things. A
slightly larger child would be able to wear these devices side-by-side.
And you might be able to convince him that it's very cool to be a
cyborg like that!
Maria
mom to 22 m.o. Sigrid, dx'd @ 11 mos., pumping since 17 mos.
****************
((original message:
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2003 01:06:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rachel <email @ redacted>
Subject: [IPp] Stubborn Lows & Viruses
Hi all. Cole is having some weird stuff happening lately... he has
been sick
since we were in AZ on 8-9-03. Remember we made that ER trip in Salt
Lake City
(American Fork experience)? They determined it was a virus but I'm not
so sure.
He has these bouts of vomitting that goes on & off as well as diarrehea
(sp?).
Also, we are having these horrible lows (no explination at all how they
occurr)
where after TWO juice boxes, 1-2 glucose tabs AND unhooking him from
his pump,
he barely makes it over 90 (one time he was 44, 44 again after 15
minutes & a
juice box, 50 after 15 minutes & a juice box & then finally 95 after a
glucose
tab with some crackers & cheese).
What's up with all this?? I'm beginning to think it's more than a
virus...
cancer? Sounds stupid I know but nobody should be sick as long as that.
Cole's
CDE says he wants to hook him up to CGMS, we've lowered ALL his
basals... I
don't know what to do or what's wrong.
I'm really worried about him... Any thoughts?
Rachel - email @ redacted))
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